Fred Earl Tarman was born in Iowa and graduated from Norman High School after working on a farm. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1910. He worked on the Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma City Times until 1917, when he resigned to become Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. In 1922, he became editor of the Norman Transcript and, eight years later, added the role of publisher to his work at the paper. Under his direction, the newspaper earned an exceptional reputation among Oklahoma dailies, being a consistent winner of sweepstakes awards in State Fair newspaper competitions. In 1929, he became assistant to the president of the Worth American Oil Company. He served as President of the Oklahoma Press Association and the Norman Chamber of Commerce, served as a trustee of the University of Oklahoma Foundation, and was a member of the Norman Planning Commission.